Efficacy and Safety of Robotic Dor Fundoplication on Severe Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease in Patients With Scleroderma

Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is a disease that affects the gastrointestinal tract resulting in its atrophy and fibrosis of smooth muscles. Approximately 80% of SSc patients develop both gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and dysphagia. The nocturnal GERD can cause regurgitation and aspiration, which...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Priyadarshini Loganathan MD (Author), Mahesh Gajendran MD (Author), Brian Davis MD (Author), Richard McCallum MD (Author)
Format: Book
Published: SAGE Publishing, 2021-10-01T00:00:00Z.
Subjects:
Online Access:Connect to this object online.
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is a disease that affects the gastrointestinal tract resulting in its atrophy and fibrosis of smooth muscles. Approximately 80% of SSc patients develop both gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and dysphagia. The nocturnal GERD can cause regurgitation and aspiration, which can further aggravate the pulmonary fibrosis from SSc. Also, their dysphagia is further worsened by performing standard Nissen fundoplication. Therefore, we aimed to investigate whether Dor fundoplication (a 180° anterior wrap) can reduce nocturnal heartburn and regurgitation without worsening dysphagia in patients with SSc and severe GERD. Five SSc patients with drug-refractory severe GERD underwent a Dor fundoplication procedure with a median follow-up of 2 years (range: 1-5 years). In all 5 patients, the preoperative high-resolution manometry showed significant impairment of esophageal motility. Patients were interviewed postoperatively to assess for nocturnal and diurnal GERD symptoms, treatment response, the status of dysphagia, and adverse effects of surgery. The average age of 5 patients was 50 years and all were females. Four of the 5 patients (80%) reported 90% improvement in both diurnal and nocturnal GERD symptoms since surgery, with no nocturnal reflux, heartburn, or regurgitation, and reports to sleep at night without requiring any more pillows or wedges. About 50% of patients reported a decrease in their proton pump inhibitor dosage after surgery compared to before surgery. No surgical complication was reported and specifically, no worsening of dysphagia. The Dor fundoplication performed for refractory GERD in SSc patients substantially decreases heartburn and regurgitation, primarily nocturnal, without affecting dysphagia, thus improving the quality of life.
Item Description:2324-7096
10.1177/23247096211051211